Silverjet To Start EWR on 1/25

[njgtr82]

Just checked their website to see when they will be finally starting and the schedule shows 1/25 as the first day and the first flight is sold out on a 767-200

[Iberia A340-600]

May they do better then L'Avion is doing!

[cancidas]

is silverjet coming to JFK at all?

[NcSchu]

It's doubtful this soon. Silverjet probably chose EWR because the lack of other business class-only carriers there that serve London. JFK has two that both go to London same as Silverjet and I doubt there's that much demand for another one.

[Nonstop2AUH]

I'm actually surprised there is demand for any of this stuff given that the established competition has a product nobody is particularly unhappy with, but apparently what the upstarts do is they go to banks, companies etc. that have execs that frequently shuttle between NYC and London (or Paris in the case of L'Avion) and offer them great deals for certain amounts of contracted volume. They are particularly interested in the hedge fund market where there are alot of rich young people (i.e. not already brand loyal, Executive Club Gold etc.) who like the idea of something 'exclusive' but aren't quite rich enough to charter a G-V to Europe. It must cause such people great distress that they can't fly Eos nonstop from HPN to LCY. Of course, all BA or AF or whoever has to do to win back the contract business is offer a better price or bonus miles or upgrades to First or a free limo or whatever. Still can't imagine all 4 of these (Eos, Maxjet, L'Avion and Silverjet) being successful.

[maem01]

And also why they would want to fly into Luton ???

[njgtr82]

so does anyone know if they really did start today?

[Iberia A340-600]

so does anyone know if they really did start today?

Start date is the 25th, not the 16th.

[njgtr82]

wow what was I thinking? I started the post with that start date

[Nonstop2AUH]

Just a reminder that Silverjet starts EWR tomorrow 1/25, anyone going to try to get a pic?

Interesting article about the concept and backers at link below. It seems like they are going all-out for the "London boutique hotel" trendy style that seems to be quite popular right now. In that respect it's a significant differentiation from MaxJet (old business class seats for a good fare) and Eos (21 feet of space but not too many other truly unique features). Given the customer demo and the fact that they are shooting for prices that are closer to MaxJets, they may well have a shot here.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/12/15/2173932.htm

[njgtr82]

Just a reminder that Silverjet starts EWR tomorrow 1/25, anyone going to try to get a pic?


pretty sure i'm gonna

[Nonstop2AUH]

Ok, good luck, if anyone gets a pic of this or has some information about today's inaugural please post it here!

[njgtr82]

Made it over to get some shots today, very boring paint scheme IMO
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i281/njgtr82/silverjet1.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i281/njgtr82/silverjet2.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i281/njgtr82/silverjet3.jpg

[Iberia A340-600]

Looks very dull in the clouds.

I think she will look stunning during a sunset.

[SengaB]

Nice shots Bill,
If you tried to get a landing shot today with those clouds in the background the plane would have flown right based you and you wouldn't have even seen it LOL.

Man those colors RAWK!!......What a Great, Lifeless, Void of Nothingness. Oh man what a classic!

I will be the first to say that those colors just SUCK.

Senga

[T-Bird76]

It should be called grey jet, the only thing silver about it is the title. If they were smart they would have done a polished bare metal look. Why do you think we call AA's plane's silver birds??

[Nonstop2AUH]

Thanks for the pics. The scheme might be boring, but then it's meant to reflect the understated London boutique hotel sort of minimalist style that the target market approves of, these are the sort of people who drive silver BMWs and such. I've seen cabin shots and it's a bit more warm and inviting on the inside. I think they are going to do well as the only UK-based all business class carrier because of the British style and the fact that their base in LTN will eventually allow them to offer services to destinations in the Middle East, South Asia, Eastern Europe etc. where business travel is booming and companies happily pay up for premium class tickets for employees on expat package and such. This is a market that Eos and Maxjet can't really tap into being based in the US, where most companies view business travel as an expense to be minimized except for senior execs who may very well fly private.

[njgtr82]

I was reading that they built their own terminal on there website, so they must have some big plans. You don't build a private terminal for one flight a day to EWR

[FlyingColors]

Nice shots Bill,
If you tried to get a landing shot today with those clouds in the background the plane would have flown right based you and you wouldn't have even seen it LOL.

Man those colors RAWK!!......What a Great, Lifeless, Void of Nothingness. Oh man what a classic!

I will be the first to say that those colors just SUCK.

Senga

He said it, every word true.
I'll second that motion.

[Matt Molnar]

The giant top to bottom SILVERJET a.)is obnoxiously large, b.)uses an awful typeface and c.)it is poorly contrasted with the fuselage. I think a pearl-esque finish like NWA's with the current shiny silver SILVERJET title would have been nice.

[Nonstop2AUH]

Despite the criticism of the livery, I think they are on to something. The core customer for this service is tired of the endless, logo-driven brand promotion of traditional airlines, especially since the service behind these brands is increasingly not what it used to be. In opting for extreme understatement, they are communicating an image that is more in keeping with that of a private jet (most of which are anonymously white for good reason) and that says they are all about the customer and less about themselves. Among frequent premium cabin business travelers, a major criticism of BA, the 800lb gorilla in this market, is that they are not a customer-focused organization, as evidenced by the impending labor action there and management's response to it.

[Tom_Turner]

You could be right about that NonStop; it makes sense.

All I know though, is that it *is* really bland. I have no doubt Mike or Carlos or someone will find a way to make it look good in an image if it sticks around long enough, but it sure is going to be forgettable most of the time.

Tom

[Nonstop2AUH]

Good video overview of Silverjet here. Shows the Luton 'private terminal' as well as aircraft cabin, neither of which are shown on the website. Also has some comments by managment about their strategy and their 'carbon neutral' concept.

http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/silverjet/26686/